The
Pool of Siloam

By Ferrell Jenkins

Published
in Biblical InsightsJanuary, 2006

Ronny
Reich, archaeologist who excavated the new Pool of Siloam, and Ferrell
Jenkins, November, 2005.

The
Pool of Siloam By Ferrell Jenkins More than 700 years before Christ,
the Judean King Hezekiah dug a tunnel to bring the water of the Gihon
spring to a new pool which he constructed on the west side of the
city of David (2 Kings 20:20; 2 Chron 32:30; Sirach 48:17). This pool
would later be known as the pool of Siloam.

One
of the great signs of Jesus, recorded in the Gospel of John, is the
healing of a man born blind (John 9). Jesus spat on the ground and
made clay of the spittle. He then applied the mud to the blind man's
eyes and told him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam." We understand
that mud made from saliva and water from Siloam will not normally
cause a blind person to see. This sign demonstrates the power of Jesus
over blindness and demonstrates the validity of His claim to be "the
Light of the world" (9:5). The blind man's faith to obey Jesus clearly
played a role in his healing.

For
many years we have been aware of the Pool of Siloam at the southern
end of Hezekiah's tunnel. A church dedicated to "Our Savior, the Illuminator"
was built here in the fifth century by the Byzantine Empress Eudokia,
but was destroyed in A.D. 614 and never rebuilt. Some columns from
the building can still be seen. See Hoade, Guide to the Holy Land,
and Murphy-O'Connor, The Holy Land, for details.

In
early June, 2004, an announcement was made by Ronny Reich and Eli
Shukron of the discovery of a pool dating to the Second Temple period
(Herod's temple). Continuing excavations have revealed three sets
of stairs leading down into the pool. Most of the pool has not yet
been uncovered. In November, 2005, I spoke with Professor Reich at
the pool and he explained several things about the discovery.

A
feature article was published in Biblical Archaeology Review,
Sept.-Oct., 2005. Todd Bolen of BiblePlaces.com,
who assisted in the excavations at the site, included some comments
on his blog at bibleplaces.com/blog/blogger.html.
Look under Archives for August, 2005. Many reports that appear in
the news media are incomplete and sometimes misleading.

Our
photo shows the northern steps and the eastern corner of the pool.
You can detect the present road level at the top of the wooden steps.
In the distance, across the Kidron Valley, you can see a hill south
of the Mount of Olives, sometimes called the Hill of Evil Counsel.
Beyond that lies the Judean Wilderness.